Free Quentins by Maeve Binchy Page B

I am secretive. That’s the last thing I am.”
    â€œHow can I tell you how sorry I am?” she asked through tears.
    He stroked her hair. “Angel Ella, I’m the one to be sorry if I sounded sharp to you. I get people asking me questions day and night. It’s such a relief to be with you, you don’t.” His face was full of remorse.
    â€œI’m such an eejit,” she sniffed.
    â€œI love you, Ella.”
    â€œI know,” she said. “I don’t deserve you.”
    â€œYour father wouldn’t dream of asking you, but then, you know me. I’m such a busybody, Ella. It’s just that we wondered, did you see a lot of that Don Richardson?” Barbara Brady’s voice trailed away with the enormity of her intrusion into her daughter’s life.
    â€œOh, I run into him a lot around the place, yes. Any problem with that?” Ella looked a long, clear look at her mother.
    â€œNo, no, none at all. It’s just that he is married, and all that sort of thing.”
    â€œWhat sort of thing exactly?”
    â€œWell, married, I suppose, and with children. Two sons, I heard.”
    â€œAh, that’s nice for him, then.”
    â€œElla, you know we want the best for you.”
    â€œAs I do for you and for Dad too.” Ella’s smile was radiant.
    â€œWill you come to Spain at half term?” Don asked her.
    â€œI’d love to, but won’t it be . . . difficult?”
    â€œNo, not remotely. I’d love to show you the coast.”
    â€œI’d love to see it. I pay my own ticket though.”
    â€œThat’s silly, Angel. I have a ticket for you.”
    â€œLeave me my pride and dignity. Won’t I be staying in your house? Isn’t that enough?”
    â€œWell, no, I thought we’d stay in a hotel. Easier.”
    â€œSure.” But Ella was quiet.
    â€œI chose it for you in case you were uneasy about staying in what is in many ways a family house.”
    â€œ No , I mean it, sure, that’s very sensitive of you, but I have my own money, Don. I’d prefer to pay the ticket.”
    â€œFine, Angel,” he said.
    â€œHow many days?”
    â€œYou said you had six days. I booked for that.” He smiled at her.
    â€œGod, I love you, Don Richardson,” she said.
    The airport was crowded with families, couples, lovers, groups of girls on package tours. None of them were remotely as happy as Ella. She had six days here. Like a honeymoon.
    She almost hugged herself at the airport as they came out among the other passengers into the sunshine toward all the hoteliers and travel agents waving banners and shouting out names.
    Don had booked a car in advance.
    â€œSit here, Angel. I’ll go and do the boring bit,” he urged. So Ella sat minding their luggage and Don’s briefcase. She admired him as he walked relaxed and easy to the car desk, his jacket over his arm.
    She thought she saw him paying in cash. He seemed to have a fistful of notes. But that was unlikely. Maybe he was just changing money. He was coming back to her smiling.
    â€œEnjoy your vacation, Señor Brady,” the man at the car desk called to him.
    â€œI put your name on the rented car too. He obviously knows who is the important one here,” Don said with his arm around Ella’s shoulder.
    She was childishly pleased. “I’ve never driven on the wrong side of the road,” she began.
    â€œA bright girl like you, of course you can do it,” he teased.
    â€œIt’s very good of you, Don.”
    â€œNot a bit of it anyway. Nice for you to have the car if I have to do a little work. Come on now, let’s go find it and we’ll toss a coin for who drives.”
    â€œI think we’ve tossed it and you won,” she said, laughing and taking him by the arm.
    It was a very luxurious hotel. They had a huge balcony, where room service delivered their meal, lit candles for them and gave Ella